I like this idea also. No reason why you shouldn't record this way. Actually makes sense if you have the specs to cope.

Thank you for the info on the drives. I'm an old IT guy so I really should be up on this stuff already. Now that I have a reason to get on board then I guess it's time. To Wizard71, the only reason that I can see "not" recording this way is that a change in one slider or eq knob, say on a kick drum, changes it in every song of the project. This is where automation comes in really handy, as you can setup the lane and just change the part in the song that you need at that time.
   Most of the time I do split the project into seperate songs up for final tweaking when I'm getting ready for the final mix down, but the small changes that I make here do not affect the songs on the whole. This way they all still have a consistent flow and sound to them.

bandso
Hi folks, just a quick question. I have a project that has 7 songs in it, and it is around 60 or so audio tracks, with lots of VST effects (no midi synths)
When I start the computer, start sonar, and load the project, it is taking 4 or 5 min to get everything together under the hood and get to the state where I can start recording. Would a SSD hard drive speed this loading time up? I have no experience with these new types of hard drives, but Ive heard stories of Windows OS on one of these drives starts within a few seconds of pressing the on button.
I know 4 or 5 min isn't a long time to wait, but when creativity hits I'd like to have a recorder that is ready to go asap. Thanks!

I have an SSD drive for my operating system and Music applications. I have 2 hard drives for my songs and samples. Be aware that you don't what to use an SSD to store data files i.e. audio, midi, etc.
 
Constant writing to SSDs will shorten there life.
 
Citing a quote from one of the posters references in this thread:
"SSDs are perfect for anyone with a need for raw performance, but you’ll need to
treat them right. Follow our advice and avoid unnecessary file operations in
order to maintain your system’s performance and prolong its lifespan. Use the
SSD as a system drive (Windows, third-party programs and important data), and
move your huge files (like pictures, music and videos) to a secondary mechanical
or external drive."
 
Walt

Not the same thing, but I am currently shopping for an SSD for my string and orchestral samples because those stream from the disk and performance is currently horrible.
 
Regarding having one project for an EP or album, I think that is a very interesting approach (if you have plenty of backups in case the file is corrupted).  What would make this challenging for me: 1-Since I use virtual instruments,  I would either have to use the same drums, bass, etc. on every song, or have separate instances and tracks, or periodically bounce down and comp the tracks.  It seems like the single project approach is better for actual audio recording.  2-Not a big deal, but if you are going to use Melodyne, you will have to teach it all the tempo changes and variations throughout the project and probably work on small sections at a time to avoid crashes.  I use SyncToy to back up the Melodyne transfer files and you can't have a Melodyne project open when you do the back-up, or those file back-ups will fail.

When you save a template with all tracks and Eq settings in it the approach of a single song, single project may give you the same results..
 
If a SSD is C:\ and audio tracks are on D:\  loadtimes will be shorter then when C:\ is a HDD. But it won't be night and day. When audiotracks are allso on C:\ loadtimes will be very short. But when operating in a commercial studio this will wear out the SSD quite fast.... So there are trade offs to be made here. A HDD is still the best recording medium for sustained datarates.
 
A user at Tascamforums who has a 48X digital Tascam recorder put in a SSD. But project loadtimes did not change. And performance was not altered. So he took out the 256GB SSD since it did not do squat...   So there are trade offs.
 
There is this side to it: when musicians are not used to the recording side of things. Stress levels will be stress levels. Some people are not capable of dealing with this type of demand...

konradh
Not the same thing, but I am currently shopping for an SSD for my string and orchestral samples because those stream from the disk and performance is currently horrible.
 

Konrad, I highly recommend this. I have all of my libraries on SSD's, they load a zillion times faster....especially Hollywood Strings! Just get an inexpensive SATA III SSD, works great. Project/audio files are fine as well. Someone here mentioned that reading/writing takes a toll on a SSD, but this is a myth. Your computer would die long before the drive reached its max.
 
Regarding an entire album in a single project; very unorthodox approach. I'm actually surprised to hear about a pro studio doing this. Any good engineer will have templates set up, ensuring that the settings are the same for each track. It would be a real pain to scroll through to find the last song LOL! Also, it would take a huge toll on system resources. But if it works, then that's the important thing (just doesn't make sense).
 
 

I used to have 2 512 GB SSDs, and one crapped out after 6 months.  I switched back to SATA III HDD and never looked back.
 
I DID see improvement in Windows booting and programs launching, and samples did load faster, but not enough faster to justify the expense and the unreliability of them, in my opinion.
 
Setting up templates with the settings and such is going to give you MAGNITUDES of time savings, FAR over anything you could do with switching hardware technology.  Really, I am not aware of anyone who would approach an album by keeping it all one giant project.
 
Bob Bone
 

Thanks again to all for the replies. After some thoughts I've decided just to wait it out until SSD's become a little more reliable, larger in storage, and a bit cheaper (in a few years I'm sure they will improve). I have a perfectly fine working system that has really been quite solid with all of the Sonar releases so why mess with a good thing.